Trends that Shape the Future of Agriculture

Rapid population growth and urbanisation are putting our environment and the agricultural sector under severe pressure. To produce more food, farmers are turning to tech trends that promise to make the farm of the future an automated and efficient enterprise. A promising step in that direction is vertical farming. By using stacked rows of shelves, this system can produce more food by using less land than farms that practice traditional agriculture. Vertical farming also uses less water and has a smaller environmental footprint, representing a viable alternative to current farming methods. The yield can be further increased with the adoption of advanced hydro- and aeroponic techniques of plant growth. Technology can also improve the productivity of traditional farmers. For example, American and Swiss researchers developed an app that uses deep learning algorithms to detect diseases in different plant species. Furthermore, sensors and IoT devices inform farmers about soil moisture, temperature, and pH levels, a great solution to the problem of water wastage that happens with traditional irrigation methods. Drones, robots, and autonomous vehicles will enable farmers to monitor their fields and harvest crops as remote operators. These and other trends that introduce automation to farming are transforming the agriculture industry. For more information about developments in agritech and other interesting related topics, have a look at our blog.